Preview: Cheetahs vs Lions

Friday night's Currie Cup match in Bloemfontein is an important one for both the Free State Cheetahs and Golden Lions.

The Cheetahs have blown hot and cold this season and suffered a 26-10 loss to the Blue Bulls in Pretoria last weekend.

The home side will have to be at their best against the Lions who, along with the Bulls, are the tournament's leading try-scorers (17).

The Cheetahs have won only two of their five previous matches and their coach Naka Drotské knows that his side cannot afford further slip-ups.

'This game is really important for us,' he said. 'This year's competition is a tightly-contested affair, and just one victory can boost a side by three places on the log.'

After beating Griquas 38-32 in Kimberley last weekend, the Lions headed straight for Bloemfontein.

'The Lions have been in our backyard for the whole week,' Drotské said. 'That can be a positive or a negative thing from their perspective. The fact that they have been gone from home for a while could count in our favour. We hope it does, but we still expect a very tight battle.'

Despite a slow start to the competition, the Lions have caught up with the frontrunners after going on a three-match unbeaten run.

Their coach Johan Ackermann is wary of the Cheetahs and expects a backlash from the hosts after their defeat to the Bulls.

'It seems we always get teams that have lost their previous games and then they are over-motivated when they run out against us,' Ackermann said. 'That will be the same with the Cheetahs. They lost to the Bulls and will be a tough nut to crack.'